Whole Round Roast

[brianj517]

Hi all,

Just returned from vacation in Hilton Head. Had an awsome time...

BJ's wholesale club was out of pork shoulders yesterday, and there were only two briskets left that didn't appeal to me, so instead, I bought an eleven pound beef roast ( from the tip of the round, I think) and it is been in the fridge thouroughly rubbed with Jeff's Naked Rib Rub since 9:00pm last night.

My question is this; though I picked one with the best most even looking fat and marbling, it does not have the 1/4" fat cap of a traditional brisket. If using the standard 1.5 hours per pound smoking time, then around 16 hours in the box is a long time in a dry environment. (BTW, I'll get home from work about 10:00pm tonight, but I am off on Tuesdays, so an all night smoke will not be a problem). Because this particular cut has less fat than what we usually smoke, I am concerned about the roast becoming too dry.

If any one has any experience with these leaner cuts, I would appreciate your help. I'm not sure if I should adjust my cooking times or temps, foil or no foil, mop intervals, etc... My ultimate goal is to acheive a pullable/shreddable finished product rather than slicing, if possible.

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

Cheers,
Brian

 

[Dutch]

Brian, back when I was in the meat cutting business, we would often do "Steamboat Roasts" (basically a front shoulder that had been boned out and tied. We would often grind the beef suet and press it over the leaner areas of the roast. The ground suet was tied into place when the roast was rolled and tied.

If you know your butcher and if he can get you some beef suet grind it and make your own "fat cap". If you don't want to tie the suet into place you can use bambo skewers to hold it in place. Just remember to brake the skewers off so the don't burn.

Hope this helps.

Dutch

 

[brianj517]

Hi Earl,

Thanks for the reply. The Suet sounds like a good idea and I will try it next time. Unfortunately, I left work before reading this post the other day, so I had to wing it. What I ended up doing was a variation on the brisket mop that Jeff uses... I melted some real butter and combined it with a can of low sodium beef broth, a little water, and some of the rub that I used on the roast. After about two hours in the smoker to let the bark form, I mopped every hour or so. ( I did miss one or two moppings as a result of thinking fluid induced sleep :oops: )

All in all, the roast was very good. It was a little bit drier than I would have preferred but the flavor was still excellent, and the dryness easily overcome by serving a home made sauce on the side. The overall appearance was picture perfect. The bark was chestnut brown and the smoke ring just a little more than 1/8" deep. Overall, I will call it a success, since the neighbors that came for dinner asked to take some of the left-overs home.

Cheers,
Brian

 

[Dutch]

Brian, I'm glad that it turned out well for you. Anytime anyone wants to take food home it's always a good thing (as long as it's not for Fido) :D